The most outlandish moments from Rep. Aaron Schock’s congressional tenure

Jet-setting Congressman Aaron Schock resigned Tuesday as his big spending habits came under increased scrutiny, but perhaps more than any legislation he helped pass, the Illinois Rep. leaves an absurd and lavish lifestyle in his wake.

Since being elected to
the House of Representatives in 2009, Schock was considered a
promising up-and-coming voice of the Republican Party before news
of his resignation hit, though he was even more well-known –
online and on social media, at least – for his penchant for
styling his congressional office after the television show
‘Downton Abbey’ and posting silly pictures on Instagram.

Since announcing his resignation, Shock has blocked
or removed many of the photos he originally posted on
Instagram, though a few remain spread across the internet. Here
are just a few of the few spectacles Americans got to enjoy
during his tenure in Washington, DC.

The ‘Downton Abbey’ office redesign

It may seem farfetched that a lawmaker would redecorate their
office to look like a popular television show, but that’s exactly
what Schock was found to have done earlier this year. A Washington Post reporter first discovered the
lawmaker’s bold red outer office – adorned with gold sconces and
black candles, no less – in February, then discovered the whole
design was inspired by a PBS period drama.

“It’s actually based off of the red room in ‘Downton
Abbey,’” a woman in the office told the reporter, before
another woman offered to show her the inner office – also covered
in red and featuring a mirror with an eagle placed on top.

Although Schock didn’t want to talk about the office, follow-up
reports stated the redesign was done using taxpayer money. The
lawmaker ended up repaying some $40,000 to the government.

Selfies with Ariana Grande and pictures with the Pope

Schock’s penchant for social media is well-known, and he
regularly used Instagram to share his adventures with followers.
From selfies with pop sensation Ariana Grande to photo ops with
singer and musician Steve Tyler, the lawmaker was happy to show
off whose company he was in.

Illinois Rep. Aaron Shock acted more like a celebrity than an
elected official with duties to his constituents. pic.twitter.com/wdx6aLiLZf

He even had an opportunity to meet with Pope Francis, during
which he showed the Pontiff another Instagram post, according to
ABC News – this one taken from Schock’s visit
to Francis’ hometown parish in Argentina.

A podium fit for a president?

In one of the stranger controversies of Schock’s time in office,
USA Today found that – as part of roughly
$79,000 spent on furniture alone – the lawmaker spent more than
$5,000 at a podium-maker called Mulnix Industries. In a follow-up
story, Buzzfeed uncovered a $5,000 podium from the
same company that looks surprisingly similar to the podium used
by the President of the United States.

The podium, called “The Presidential,” was “very likely”
sold to Schock, the Mulnix general manager Phil Crane told
Buzzfeed.

Schock dismissed the controversy at the time, saying the style of
his podium is “similar to that used by many Members of
Congress.”

Showing off those abs

The new millennium has become something of a golden age for
shirtless politicians, with the press going gaga for images of
President Barack Obama swimming in Hawaii and Russian President
Vladimir Putin riding bare-chested on a horse. Schock’s case was
no different, as the physically fit congressman adorned the cover
of Men’s Health and was declared “America’s fittest
congressman.”

Traveling in luxury

Despite the pricy furniture items and interior decorating costs,
Schock seems to have been primarily undone by probes into his
travel expenses. According to the National Journal, the congressman accepted
money from a private organization in order to pay for the travel
expenses of a companion during a trip to India in 2014. The
companion, a photographer, was not a staff or family member, and
therefore was ineligible to receive private funds. Not only that,
but Schock never disclosed that the photographer would be going
on the trip to the House Ethics Committee.

Just one day before his resignation, a Politico report found that Schock billed the
government to reimburse him for roughly 172,000 miles traveled on
via car between 2010 and 2014. However, documents signed by him
reveal the car’s odometer only had some 80,000 miles logged – a
vast difference that suggests the lawmaker accrued far more in
reimbursements than he spent.

In the past, Schock had also been tagged for spending thousands
of dollars for numerous concerts, including country music shows
and a Katy Perry live performance.

In a statement on Tuesday, Schock announce his resignation.

“I do this with a heavy heart. Serving the people of the 18th
District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my
life,” the statement read. “I thank them for their faith
in electing me and letting me represent their interests in
Washington. I have given them my all over the last six years. I
have traveled to all corners of the District to meet with the
people I’ve been fortunate to be able to call my friends and
neighbors.”